


Bitty's Outhaus

by Star_of_Gotham



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, Ehehe, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, okay im done, sorry about the /shitty/ title
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 02:45:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4418105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_of_Gotham/pseuds/Star_of_Gotham
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Bitty had come out to someone he had stammered through several notecards, almost started to cry, and was all the better for it. Shitty had been a great pal for him since he first joined the Samwell Men’s Hockey team, and even more so once Bitty confided his sexuality in him. Things were great on that front for a while. A lot longer than Bitty was expecting, actually, until Jack Laurent Zimmermann just had to worm his way into Bitty’s heart. It made it a lot harder to say goodbye to him at graduation, and Bitty found the Haus much less like a home without him in it. Shitty was terribly difficult to say goodbye to as well, but he knew that Shitty would be a lot easier to stay in touch with.<br/>Once summer break had officially descended upon Samwell, Ransom and Holster managed to whip the Haus up into a girl frenzy. Every other night Bitty was picking up random articles of clothing or tossing out bottles, something that Ransom and Holster deemed “inappropriate for a bro without a woman to do.” They incessantly harassed Bitty about getting a summer hookup, something that eventually the other boys of the Haus joined in on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. R&H Depot

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place the summer right after Jack and Shitty graduate. Please be forgiving on the dialogue with R&H in the first chapter! I found out I really need to work on group dialogue while writing this, haha.

                “Bitty, bro, it’s been two weeks already. We got a list of chicks already, all you gotta do is pick!” Ransom said loudly, trying to get his voice through the bathroom door and past the booming Beyoncé.

                Without a response, Ransom looked to Holster for guidance and wisdom. He attempted to silently communicate his predicament with a shrug. Holster nodded, apparently understanding. “We put it under the door for him,” said Holster. He slid the sheet of paper halfway under the door, and with their mission (kind of) accomplished the dynamically dense duo left the showering Bitty alone.

                Not realizing that his dear friends Ransom and Holster had paid him a visit, Bitty exited the shower after two more songs, and with towel tied tightly around his waist he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. But instead of his foot gripping the last inch of tile of the bathroom, it grabbed the piece of paper left on the floor instead. And instead of catching himself with his arms, Bitty fell further forward than expected and slammed his left arm into the wooden hallway. His towel came off sometime on his way down as well, and when Ransom and Holster ran upstairs to see a bleeding and naked Bitty they couldn’t just chirp him and get on with their day.

                “Y’all need to stop messin’ with me when I’m showering,” Bitty scolded, nursing his bandaged arm. A bit of skin was rubbed off, and he was cut close to his elbow too, but the bleeding made it look worse than it was. “This stings worse than a wasp, just so you two know!” Bitty said bitterly to his two culprits.

                “Come on Bitty, it’s not like we were trying to kill you,” said Ransom, taking the crumpled up, torn, and wet piece of paper from his pocket.

                “Yeah Bitty, and none of the other guys were around for that either,” added Holster, referring to a mass concert being held at an outside stage somewhere else on campus. He and Ransom wanted to stay behind to try and get Bitty to make a decision on what girl he wanted to bring to themed dance next week.

                “Well it sure feels like you are!” Bitty said pointedly to Ransom. “And they may as well be, what with you two involving them in this whole ‘pick a girl, Bittle’ thing you got goin’ on!” Bitty said angrily to Holster.

                “What?” the two asked simultaneously, giving each other a short look when they realized it, but remembering Bitty was mad.

                “You two got the whole Haus goin’ after me, trying to find me a stupid girl to bang and then ditch her for a different one! One of the tadpoles slipped a playboy into my room the other day, guys. Can y’all just knock it off?!” Bitty was reflexively moving to the fridge to get something to bake with, but slammed the door shut and huffed instead. He didn’t want to bake with his arm buggin’ him like this, and he sure wasn’t gonna make something for everyone else.

                “Bitty, we were just trying to be bros for you,” Holster explained, jumping up on the counter and sitting on it facing Bitty. He patted the spot next to him, but kicked Holster when he tried to jump up. “Back off man, let Bits up here. You can take the table, Ronsi.”

                Bitty reluctantly, and with some difficulty, got himself on the counter next to Holster, and found that his anger was subsiding bit by bit.

                “Why didn’t you tell us this was bugging you, man?” Ransom asked, now a head shorter than Bitty and Holster.

                “Well…” Bitty started, but stopped himself. He knew why, but did he trust these two to know? They did say they were the only ones in the Haus, but were they really? What if…

                Bitty’s gears started turning maliciously in his head, and Ransom and Holster noticed something was up. “Bitty, hey, you know you can talk to us, right?” Ransom asked again, wishing he was able to put his hand on his teammate’s shoulder.

                “Yeah, we’re here for you, Bitty, whether you like it or not,” Holster added, putting his hand on Bitty’s shoulder and giving Ransom a quick, stupid look.

                Bitty breathed deeply, eyes on the floor and stomach churning. He knew he wouldn’t be able to eat lunch after this. “I’m gay,” Bitty said for the second time in his life, and it didn’t feel much easier than the first time. “I was hoping you two would just get that I didn’t want anythin’ to do with your… your chick list and drop it, but y’all just kept bringin’ it up and I didn’t know how to tell ya to stop. And then everyone else started harassin’ me about it, and I thought that if I tried getting one of you to stop then everyone else’d get the wrong idea. Well, right idea, but wrong that they would-”

                “ _Bitty_ ,” interrupted Holster, smiling at the shorter blond when he look up at him. “You’re stumbling over your own words, Bits. And why were you so worried about telling us? Or anyone in the Haus, really.”

                Ransom got up and walked over to Bitty, putting his hand on his free shoulder. “Yeah Bitty, we’re your teammates for God’s sake. Basically literal brothers! What, did you think one of us would beat your or get mad or something?”

                Bitty laughed shakily, shaking his head. “Shitty said almost the exact same thing w hen I told him,” he said.

                “Wait, you told Shitty??”

                “Dude, why did you only tell him??”

                Bitty almost fell forward off the counter when the two surprised him with their questions. “I still don’t exactly know why I just went to him, but he was kinda the perfect guy to come out to first I guess.”

                “Does anyone else know?” asked Holster, before Ransom could ask the same.

                “No!” Bitty exclaimed, hopping down off the counter. “God no, no, it’s just you two and Shitty. You can’t tell anyone else, either! Y’all don’t… I couldn’t…”

                “Hey, Bits, it’s okay! Our lips are sealed!” promised Ransom, miming zipping his lips shut. He locked them closed, then tossed the key to Holster. He faked swallowing the imaginary keys, and after zipping and locking his lips closed with a key he tossed it back to Ransom. The two went back and forth like that for a solid minute before Bitty just huffed again and laughed.

                “I get it, y’all won’t say anythin’. Thanks, guys. It means a lot to me,” Bitty confided, finally opening the fridge with a baker’s mindset.

                “So… when do you plan on telling Jack?” Ransom asked, causing Bitty to drop the gallon of milk he was pulling out to get at the bag of apples behind it.

                “Ransom!”


	2. Jacked up Fourth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fourth of July comes around, but not until after Canada day! Shitty and Jack come visit the Haus for the week, Bitty bakes themed pies, and the Ransom and Holster show goes on! Also Bitty comes out to Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A scene is taken almost directly from an extra, found here -> http://omgcheckplease.tumblr.com/post/57706744022  
> I was planning on making this just two chapters, and two it will be, but this chapter was muuuch longer than I originally intended. I also left the ending open for a sequel that I have tentative plans for!

                Jack and Shitty both showed up a couple of days before the fourth came around. Shitty showed up shirtless and wearing a backpack on June 28th, while Jack didn’t show until July 1st. Bitty had a lot more anxiety than he’d ever admit to anyone about Jack not coming down for the holiday, but all of it was thrown away when Bitty heard Ransom downstairs yelling something about his Canadian brother. It took Bitty the exact amount of time for him to pause his music to realize who Ransom meant, and only slightly longer for him to dash to the stairs, composing himself before he went down. It was a brief reunion for Jack and Bitty, seeing as the whole Haus was around for the fourth’s impending arrival, but it made Bitty’s day just seeing him in person again.

                Bitty spent an hour making several pies to celebrate Shitty and Jack’s visit, and had to politely turn down a violently desperate Ransom begging him for a maple leaf-shaped pie. As much as Bitty knew Jack would’ve loved it too, he just couldn’t put it together in time for that night, especially not with the Haus’s current stock of baking supplies.

                That night, while the Americans went about their normally scheduled lives, preparing themselves for the fourth coming up, Jack and Ransom were mounting a Canadian flag onto the Haus (Bitty had no clue if that thing was permanently up there or not) while wearing very, _very_ Canadian clothes. Ransom donned a red and white tank top with a red maple leaf emblazoning the bottom, and red jogging shorts. He also had his hockey helmet on for some reason? Bitty guessed it was because the helmet was also red, and related to hockey, so technically at least partially Canadian. Jack, on the other hand, wore one simple article of clothing: red and white boxers with a large, red maple leaf spread over his inner thighs and crotch.

                Bitty’s face was as red the clothes were when he first saw the two men clad in their patrotic gear, but just laughed it off when Jack’s face was lit up by small fireworks and saw red lines smeared on his face as well. “Oh my lord, Jack Zimmerman you are _in_ for it when the Fourth of July comes around, you know that?”

                “Bitty, please, let us have this,” Ransom said to Bitty, putting on a pair of sunglasses that were, unsurprisingly, also red and white. Ransom then continued to press play on a stereo he and Jack brought up from the Haus basement, and horribly loud, horribly not Beyoncé, music started to play. Before Bitty could respond or try to turn down the music a water balloon flew from above Bitty and blew up on Jack’s chest.

                “Just wait three days!!” Holster shouted from a Haus window up a floor. He ducked his head inside, but popped his head out again a second later, launching another water balloon at Ransom this time. Before long the stereo was covered in two towels for ‘protecting the Canadian tunes’ according to Ransom, most of the Haus members outside were at least half-soaked, and Ransom and Jack were drenched but laughing. Bitty didn’t realize how much he’d missed Jack’s laugh, even more so once he remembered he’d only heard it a precious few times.

                Once the Canadians were soaked, the fireworks burnt out, and the stereo’s battery dead, the boys made their way back into the Haus to dry off and listen to Shitty’s stories he’d already amassed. Bitty was more interested in how Jack’s body looked glistening with the cool water, and how his boxer’s held onto the water and made them more-

                Bitty refused to think about it and decided, with a heavy and awkward heart, that he was retiring for the night and catch up with Shitty and Jack later. He didn’t fall asleep until long after all the noise downstairs died out.

                The days went by quickly until the Fourth had finally arrived. Bitty dressed himself proudly in a navy-blue tank top speckled with small, white stars, complete with red booty shorts that had a star on each cheek. He had to admit, as bashful as he was when he first got it as a gift from Shitty while shopping for party supplies the day before, Bitty just laughed off the stares and questions, opting for a more fun outlook on his butt’s spangled garment. His flip-flops were even American flag-themed, and he refused to take them off even in the Haus while he baked the American flag pie. Ransom had some bitter words to say about that specific pie, but took it all back once Bitty finally caved and let him have a piece.

                After fireworks, more grilled meat than a cave of bears could devour, and a lot of star-spangled bikinis, the grand night was coming to a close as the clock neared three in the morning. Hausmates slinked off to their rooms, some with girls and some with one last beer bottle, while Shitty and Jack set up for one of their last nights in the Haus living room. Bitty was so, so close to yelling at the two for sleeping on the couch and inviting them to sleep elsewhere, but he knew they both wouldn’t fit in his room, and he didn’t think he’d survive sharing a room with an almost-drunk Jack Zimmermann. Reluctantly Bitty went to his room, slipping in earbuds and blasting Taylor Swift to drown out some of the less desirable noises.

                The morning after everything could’ve been worse, Bitty supposed. Only two guys were on the roof this time, and he only had to pick up two condoms. When Bitty joined the Haus for a big, mashup breakfast, conversations were already competing for volume. He tried to get to the fridge for more milk, but was interrupted by an underclassman who started up a conversation with him out of the blue. “Hey Bitty, last night was great! I loved that pie, man!”

                “Aw, thanks!” Bitty said, pulling the last gallon out and setting it on the nearby counter. “It frustrated me to no end tryin’ to get that crust to the right color, but seein’ y’all enjoy it like that made it worth my while!”

                “Yeah man! I bet all the girls must go crazy over you because of your cookin! How haven’t you even hooked up with one yet, Bitty?”

                Bitty almost spilled the glass he just picked up to take a sip from, and opted to set it back down instead. “Shucks, maybe it’s just not the right time, or none of them want a relationship, or one very specific reason, you never know!” Bitty tried to turn away and get away from the guy, but he just kept talking. _Oh my lord please stop_ Bitty pleaded in his mind.

                “Come on Bitty, really? You can’t just-”

                “Hey!” called Holster, clapping a hand on Bitty’s shoulder, almost making him drop the glass he just picked up again. “Greatest pie _ever_ last night, Bitty!” Holster commented, glaring at the underclassman.

                “Duuudes,” said Ransom, sliding over to them. “Did you _see_ how many guys were walking around last night without clothes on? I heard a couple of seniors went around stealing clothes from underclassmen! Good thing that didn’t happen to anyone at the Haus, yeah?” Ransom looked at the shrinking conversationalist, and hit him jokingly upside the head. “Go on, mingle with the bros, bro. Give Bits a break.”

                He walked off, face red and head down. Ransom and Holster high-fived each other over Bitty’s head, and made sure he was okay before going on with the loud, social morning. Bitty sighed, heart still a little fast, but at least better. He was just thinking about how great his friends here were, when he saw Jack looking at him. He turned away quickly, mouth moving and facing someone else, but Bitty was put off by it all the same.

                That afternoon the sounds of everything that happened the last 24 hours were finally gone, and the smell of a cinnamony apple pie slowly baking worked its way throughout the Haus. It didn’t do much to help mask the smells, but it helped all the same, Bitty argued. It was Jack’s last day before he had to get back to his life after Samwell, and Bitty offered to help him pack up in his room.

                “Will there be Beyoncé?” asked Jack, chirping his friend lightly earlier that day.

                “Jack Laurent Zimmermann, of _course_ there will be Beyoncé! If you want,” Bitty added, knowing that they didn’t share the same taste in music.

                “I do,” replied Jack, smiling at Bitty’s reaction. “To be honest, I really miss the atmosphere of the Haus. Ransom and Holster breaking into everyone’s room with that ridiculous camera and whiteboard, the smell of pies, Beyoncé playing louder than, well, everything.”

                The two had a short time catching up until Chowder ran in asking for Bitty’s help, and they parted agreeing to pack together. Bitty threw the pie in the oven right before, telling Jack it was for him to take on the road. Jack dumped his clothes out on the bed and tossed his laptop bag over by Bitty’s pillows. The two sorted and folded socks, shirts, and pants while making friendly conversation. Bitty blushed and laughed when Jack folded up his Canada boxers, to which Jack responded by throwing them at Bitty. They hit and fell off his beet-red face, only to be hastily thrown back at Jack.

                “Zimmermann, I swear,” Bitty said, chuckling more out of his own awkwardness than anything, and went back to folding the last pair of jeans. Jack tucked the boxers in underneath the pair when Bitty set it in the suitcase, and that was that. Bitty looked up from the suitcase to see Jack looking at him again, but this time there was no one to cover it up with. Nervously laughing, Bitty attempted to chirp him to take away from his nerves. “Y-ya might wanna take a picture instead. Lasts longer and all that jazz, right?”

                “Bitty, I already have that one from the epikegster, remember?” Jack said, oblivious to Bitty’s side of things. “And all those grad photos, too.”

                Bitty just laughed and shook his head, zipping up Jack’s suitcase for him. “So, about earlier,” Jack started, pushing the suitcase aside so it wasn’t between the two of them on the bed. He sat down on the edge, craning his neck to see Bitty. “What went on over there by the fridge? I’ve never seen Ransom and Holster rush it over to someone so fast.”

                Before Bitty could even think of how to respond, he heard a loud crash and familiar tune start to play below them. “Speak of the devil,” Bitty said, nervously laughing at someone’s misfortune getting caught on camera. He wanted to leave it at that, since Jack had laughed too, but the expectant look he was giving Bitty told him there was no worming out of this one.

                “Ransom and Holster had been givin’ me a hard time about… getting a girl, and the whole Haus kinda picked up on it. I talked the two out of buggin’ me anymore, and they thought they made their message clear to everyone else to stop too. Guess not everyone was able to,” Bitty trailed off, nervously laughing again. His hand rubbed absently at the back of his neck, unsure whether the conversation would go _there_ or not. His stomach started doing flips at the thought.

                “Those two always did really care for you, Bitty. So, how _is_ that going, if you don’t mind me asking?” Jack inquired, looking at Bitty with care and interest. Bitty almost choked on the breath he was breathing in.

                “It’s not really workin’,” Bitty said, fidgeting his fingers against the material of his bedsheet. “I’m not bothered by it at all, either, though!” _Oh dear, sweet, loving lord please I don’t know if I can all of a sudden._

                “Bitty? You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Jack said, moving closer to his shaking junior. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right? We _are_  friends, right?” Jack reached out and put a comforting hand on Bitty’s shoulder.

                “Jack, y’all have been so, so great to me,” Bitty said, tears lingering in the back of his eyes. “And I love y’all more than words or pies can express. So I don’t know why- why it’s so hard to just _tell_ you, Jack, or everyone else,” Bitty said quietly, a tear escaping down his cheek.

                “Bitty, hey,” Jack said, holding Bitty’s shoulders with his hands and squaring them up, making Bitty sit up straight and face him. “ _Talk_ to me, Eric Bittle. I thought you trusted me,” Jack said, worry showing in his expression.

                Bitty couldn’t look away from Jack’s brilliantly blue eyes as tears fell out of his own. “I’m gay, Jack,” Bitty said barely above a whisper.

“…What?”

“I’m gay, Jack,” Bitty said, his heart wringing more tears from his eyes and his stomach making the smell of cinnamon and apples go sour.

“Oh,” Jack said simply, looking down at the bed. His grip loosened on Bitty’s shoulders, and a million horrible thoughts flew through Bitty’s head in an instant.

_Ohmygodhehatesmenow. I ruined everything. He’s never goin’ to speak to me again. I need Shitty here right now to-_

“Ok.” Jack interrupted Bitty’s thoughts with his eyes back on him again and hands letting go of him.

“Jack, I’m so sorry, I never should’a-”

“Bitty, there’s nothing to apologize about! Calm down, okay?” Jack smiled reassuringly at Bitty, but it faltered, and Jack’s eyes weren’t looking completely at Bitty’s. “That took a lot of courage.”

Bitty still felt like something was wrong, but he knew Jack wouldn’t open up to him like he just did. “It still wasn’t easier the third time,” Bitty said, starting to stand up. “I talked to Shitty about this a long time ago, and Ransom and Holster a month ago. That’s why those two stepped in.”

Jack’s face wasn’t even close to being okay when Bitty looked over at him, and his heart dropped. He wanted more than anything to take back everything he’d said, and never even invite him to help with packing. _What have I done? I knew I shouldn’t’a said-_

Jack suddenly standing up interrupted his thoughts. He pulled his suitcase off the bed, and threw his laptop bag over his shoulder. He stared at Bitty then, his eyes unreadable then and lips pursed. Bitty almost jumped when he offered a hand to him, waiting for Bitty to shake it. Bitty wiped the sweat off his palm and shakily shook Jack’s hand, scared to look at his ex-captain’s, current crush’s eyes.

“Good luck, Bitty,” Jack said, ending the handshake and turning to go. “See you later.”

And Jack walked out of Bitty’s room, leaving the shaken boy in a hurricane of emotions. It wasn’t until two hours later, a very burnt pie, and the sound of a car driving away did Shitty find Bitty in his room in a heap of blankets and tears. He sighed, sat down on the bed next to him, and set a hand on his blanket-clad back.

“Wanna talk about it?”


End file.
